


A Little Push to the Future

by Merfilly



Series: Charting an Unknown Course [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 16:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11085246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: In the aftermath of the attempt to arrest Palpatine, Kit recovers, aided by both of his lovers.





	A Little Push to the Future

**Author's Note:**

> I give up and admit it's a series. No smut in this one, because they decided to have FEELINGS instead, but I promise, eventual threesome!

Kit looked up blearily as he felt two presences entering the room with him, as he recovered from the near mortal wound dealt to him during the arrest of the Chancellor. He had only been out of bacta for a few hours, and everything still hurt. The worst pain, though, was in knowing Saesee Tiin had, despite his own mortal wound, been the one to save him with a well-thrown telekinetic push. They had lost him in that office, and Agen Kolar still might not make it through.

Aayla Secura, though, and Commander Bly, were there, and that demanded he pull away from the loss of one of their quietest and most reflective masters. He almost managed a smile, but it pulled at muscles still healing, and Aayla was quick to perch on the bed, her hand going to his shoulder.

"Shh. Rest. We merely wanted to see you, now that Knight Nimpur told us you were awake again."

Bly came to stand on the other side, his own hand, bare of the protective glove, coming to rest on his other shoulder, knuckles brushing the tentacles on that side. Aayla was carefully avoiding such, given the damage on her side.

"Our troops are in garrison for the next few days, awaiting new orders, given the chaos of the Separatist Council. We've had several entreaties for a ceasefire, much finger-pointing, and a few outright surrenders," Bly told him. "Grievous is dead, in case no one had told you, and a communication General Kenobi's men found led them to most of that Council."

Kit blinked his eyes in relief to hear that. At least Master Tiin's death had come with a positive outcome.

"You mustn't overdo things, Kit," Aayla said quietly. "Promise me."

He answered with a wordless acquiescence in the Force for her, then closed his eyes. They, the Republic and Jedi Order, would heal while he did.

* * *

If the upheaval in the Republic was galactic in its reach, it was no less in the Jedi Order. With three masters of the Council recovering from injuries, and the one Knight who had saved them all recovering from psychic trauma, leadership fell to Obi-Wan, youngest Master of the same, out of the habit of the war's effort. The first thing he chose to do was reorganize the army, pulling smaller units out of the larger ones, setting them as security details for the Jedi now handling negotiations. 

The second thing he did was convince the Senate to shut down the cloning contracts, both with Kamino, and the ones they had discovered in the investigation of where the newer troops had come from, ones that had originated with the Chancellor. That would allow the Senate to move on to the next issue, which was what to do with an army they expected to not need within the year, if negotiations went well and no further insurgencies arose.

Kit learned all of this through Aayla and Bly, as they were not heading back to the field immediately. They had a task of going through the Home Guard, working out who had been compromised by extended contact with a Sith, and helping rehabilitate them. While Plo Koon might have been the better fit, his extensive contacts in so many systems were keeping him and his units in the field.

The biggest surprise, however, was when Aayla came with news about where Skywalker was recovering. Kit was not surprised to find out there had been a breach of the code with the Naboo Senator, but her news was shocking nonetheless.

"Master Kenobi privately confirmed to those of us that Anakin trusts that the Senator gave birth a few days after the Chancellor died. She has twins," Aayla said quietly, keeping her voice low despite the closed door. "Master Kenobi is adamant that this is not to be punished, and Master Koon is in agreement. So am I, and few of the others seem to have a strong opinion against it."

Kit smiled at that. "Good. It is time that we change our thinking." He slid his hand to hers on the side of the bed. "I am very pleased they chose you to fill the vacant seat on the Council."

She shook her head. "I am even younger than Kenobi was when he was chosen, and I do not feel I have the experience. But I will do what is needed, until a proper choice can be made. You approve of the choice to properly elevate Anakin once he returns from Naboo?"

"Yes. So does Master Windu. He admitted, when Stass came to speak to the three of us here, that he had severely misjudged the place Anakin would hold in events. Agen asked me after if they had given him too many painkillers."

That made Aayla laugh, as she twined her fingers in his. "Let us hope it continues. There are a few individuals that need to hear apologies from him."

"I agree." He quieted, as she did and contemplated the future they both ached for, one where their relationship could be open to more than her loyal troops.

* * *

It was Bly who arrived the day Master Vokara Che allowed Kit out of his medical room, with its entirely too small soaking tub. Kit had begun to dream of the salt water pool in his private quarters, kept to a temperature and salinity that was equivalent to his native waters on Glee Anselm. Kit did not protest the steadying arm around his waist, or resist putting an arm over the broad soldier of the man in his garrison blacks. 

"It's this way," Kit said, thinking to direct the man.

"I know. The General made certain I knew where to take you, as she could not get free to be here herself."

"So I am to be managed by the both of you as I begin to regain strength?" Kit teased.

"Yes," Bly said in a far more blunt fashion, but the hand around Kit's waist tightened, the sole betrayal of how much the near fatality had affected him.

It resonated through Kit, that he and Bly had found their own rapport, even if Aayla was the main focus for each of them in what they were building. 

The two men made it to Kit's room, where he had to lean on the door to rest a moment before they entered together. 

"Bath, right?" Bly asked, pretty certain that would be the right thing.

"Please."

The soldier guided Kit to the 'fresher, taking in the large pool that Aayla had come by to start for him earlier in the day, when the healers started making noise about releasing Kit. The water was circulating slightly, to add currents for Kit's skin and breathing. 

Stripping was a matter of dropping the borrowed robe, before Kit had to decide if the shorts beneath needed to go. He'd been allowed to not deal with clothing in the healing quarters to ease getting in and out of the tub, as well as to avoid irritating the wounds to his tentacles.

"Should I step out?" Bly asked, concerned his presence was less aid and more burden, from Kit's senses. That made Kit stop being ridiculous. They'd had a couple of encounters through the final year of the war, though never able to do much more than touch each other. It was ridiculous to hide behind modesty when they had been intent on finding time to explore their compatibility. He carefully got out of the shorts, then moved to get into the pool, not making a fuss of his nudity. Neither did Bly, who merely stepped close and made certain Kit didn't fall. 

The water soothed the last of Kit's discomfort at the situation, as the right pressure and buoyancy and salinity settled on his skin, his tentacles floating free of gravity's weight as he reclined in the water. He finally did look at Bly, to find the man had taken a perch on the small stool beside the pool.

"Often have guests in here?" Bly asked, watching the way the tentacles moved of their own accord, except the injured ones. They still lay limp and listless, moved by the currents alone.

"Not usually when I am in the nude, no," Kit replied, his smile bright once more. "Though some species have little in the way of body modesty, and are familiar enough with Nautolans that I have entertained a few in the nude as well."

"Entertained, or … _entertained_?"

Kit had to laugh as Bly, reliable and calm and stoic Bly, made that insinuation perfectly. "Both, but I'm not saying who, thank you very much."

"I think I can live with just imagining the various Jedi I have met, and deciding who it might have been on my own," Bly told him, provoking another laugh.

"I've had these quarters since I knighted, my friend, and even before that, my Master did not believe in celibacy as a natural lifestyle by default. Merely in discretion and following one's instincts in the matter."

"Yet… for some Jedi, celibacy and the no attachment rule go hand in hand," Bly said, settling to the conversation, with a curiosity Kit could almost taste. "Aayla said the first time you and she knew there was an attraction, you mutually decided to not pursue it. Not even as a physical thing."

Kit sighed. "For some sentients, it is difficult to separate passion from attachment. It's actually why the Jedi Order found attachments to be unwelcome. Passion overwhelmed duty, and caused many problems. Also, dynastic tendencies crop up in many sentients… to the detriment of the moral compass through the generations produced.

"With myself and Aayla, we knew that the passion was twined in a bond that was trying to forge. One that would mean forsaking the Code on that subject." Kit flicked his tentacles in wry amusement. "Facing death regularly, falling into the bond that had formed to keep ourselves in the Light? That made us choose to break from the Code, slightly later."

"That was after she came to us as our General," Bly said softly.

"And after she had made up her mind about you. It was part of our conversation in that very first negotiation of who we would be together." Kit pondered a moment. "In many ways, Bly, I must thank you. Aayla felt that by making stable commitments to both of us, and encouraging us to become friends, that there would be a balance as well as anchoring. I think it has worked, just so."

Bly pondered that for some time, allowing Kit to submerge fully, flushing his body in the water as his biology demanded. Nor did Bly disturb him there, which meant he came back up to see the soldier had shifted the stool to lean on the wall and started napping. The eyes popped open immediately, though, and Bly gave a half smile.

"Ready to get out?"

"I never really am, but yes. As I should eat, and my supply here is better than the healers could find for me," Kit answered. He pushed himself to the edge of the pool, and allowed the soldier to guide him out and to his feet. What he did not expect was for Bly to turn, pull the bath sheet over, and wrap it carefully around him, before starting to dry him off. Kit wanted to protest, but there was this solid choice in Bly's presence he didn't dare ignore, so he settled for asking.

"You wish to help me?"

Bly met his eyes before nodding, so Kit could see the sincerity. "If we three are _aliit_ , true clan, this is where we begin building our line. By caring for each other when it is needed, because we wish to."

Kit brought his forehead down to Bly's, closing his eyes as he soaked in the rightness of the moment, the quiet whispers of the Force guiding him to the path he had seen as needed.

"We are clan, and this is the beginning," he agreed, letting Bly care for him, sharing this part of recovery.

* * *

Kit was laughing at Bly describing the latest exploits of the unit's pair of pranksters, still working at munching idly on his snack, Bly's tray long since empty, when the door opened and Aayla walked in, actually wearing her full robes. The sight of her in them made Kit's head spin; it was such a change from her combat gear.

She looked at them at sitting in the breakfast nook, and sighed loudly.

"I leave you two alone for most of the day, and you're not even cuddling yet?" she asked them, causing both men to stare, then slowly begin to laugh.

"I don't think the healers would have approved if I'd brought him back here just to exhaust him with sex, Aayla," Bly told her once he stopped laughing.

"Cuddles and sex are not the same," Kit pointed out.

"You're thinking either one of us has the self-control to leave it at cuddles?" Bly asked. "I think I'm hurt. Aayla, he doesn't find me as irresistible as I find him."

That set both Jedi to laughing, before Kit leaned in, lips finding Bly's ear. "You, my friend, are a flirt beneath that stoicism." He then nibbled lightly at the upper shell of the ear before pulling back, opening the space to Aayla who had come over. She rested her forehead against the back of Bly's head a long moment, a hand snaking out to hold Kit's, before she settled on the third chair in the nook. She knew why there were three chairs, not two, from Kit's stories. Plo Koon and Areen Jepet, one of his Finders and his Master, were frequent guests before the war took them all so far from one another.

"You do look much better than my visit last night," Aayla told Kit. "A long soak was good for you."

"Yes!" Kit nodded a bit, managing not to wince when the damaged tentacles ached with the motion. Just as the gills and neck on that side had healed, so would they. One benefit of being an amphibious species was in spectacular healing rates, but tentacles were slower to do so than most tissue.

"Do you know he has visitors in the 'fresher?" Bly asked, which made Aayla look at Kit.

"Should I be worried about competition? Or trying to figure out a good schedule?" she teased him.

Kit laughed brightly at that. "There is no competition for either of you in my life," he said warmly. He concentrated and managed to move the dishes to the cleaner with just his telekinesis, though it left him mentally winded. "And now, I believe cuddles were mentioned?"

"Hmm, yes."

+++

Despite the irresistibility of all parties, the triad of lovers had actually managed to keep the night to nothing more than cuddles, Kit in the middle of the other two. He normally slept in his pool, but the rest he got with Bly's head on his good side, and Aayla curled so her head rested low on his chest, away from the still healing tentacles, was magical.

"No, you may not go to Council with me today," Aayla told him in the morning, as both she and the Commander dressed. "You will go soak and do your exercises, just as Master Che stressed to you. We'll both be home tonight, love."

Home.

The word lingered in Kit's mind now as he did what he was told to, submerged in the pool and letting the waters move around him. Home implied a certain freedom of expression that he did not feel he had here. Yes, Anakin's familial status was known and being ignored on a disciplinary level, but he doubted it was going to be the norm. He'd already heard that Nejaa Halcyon and most of the other Corellian Jedi had begun preparations to officially withdraw from the Order and return to the Green Jedi in their system.

Likewise, the Altisians were beginning to return to Bespin, the short-lived alliance with the Order at an end.

Kit felt distress at the idea of leaving the Order to join them, yet he wanted the freedom and right to be able to display his bond with Aayla, to let Bly claim him publicly. Those things seemed impossible, here in the Temple. Such thoughts continued to prey on his mind as he alternated long soakings with the careful stretching and meditation he needed to do in order to continue his healing. By the time his door chimed, mid-afternoon, he was no closer to a solution than when he had awakened.

"Enter."

Kit watched as Obi-Wan Kenobi, acting Master of the Council, entered and dropped down on his couch. There was a time when that had been somewhat normal, but there had been a braid then, and the laughter of Kit's first padawan most of the time. Now, as equals, it felt odd for some reason, and Kit listened to the Force a little more. Something was afoot, and he needed to pay attention.

"Amazing, isn't it, that we spend all of our lives being told to keep a distance, eschew Attachment, while building and weaving ties within the Order that can leave us all shaken to the core when they falter," Obi-Wan said by way of opening. Kit carefully did not comment on that, not yet, wondering where his young friend was going. "And the whole while, Kit, we have been wrong. Absence of Attachment led one respected Master Jedi to walk the path of the Sith. The presence of Attachment kept our most powerful Knight from doing as he had been groomed for years, and saved us all.

"But, do you think I can coax the rest of the Order to understand that, to see it is why I refuse to punish Anakin for his choices? Do you feel I can guide the Order into a strong enough acceptance that our Attachments have kept us at least partly sane through all of this violence and mayhem?"

"Are you seeking actual advice, or do you have other aims, my friend?" Kit asked, not yet willing to commit to open honesty on his own relationships to a man that had, much like himself, been seen as a stalwart traditionalist.

How the war had changed them all, shaken their fundamental understanding of the Force and life.

Obi-Wan gave that enigmatic smile of his, but it was a tired one, and Kit worried about his young friend's ability to meet all the demands thrust on him.

"I wish for support, Master Kit. I have it from certain others, but… your word goes far, because of your many, many ties through our Order, as a teacher and consular."

Kit heard, even felt the quiet understanding in Obi-Wan's words, and suddenly realized who would have assigned Aayla's unit to Coruscanti duty. The gleam in Kenobi's eyes was too knowing, and Kit could smell the satisfaction in the air.

"You knew already."

"I suspected and played a hunch," Obi-Wan corrected. "Also, Master Plo is a gossip when it means he gets his way. He requested that Aayla and Bly be allowed to be near to you and took the duties I would have given them."

Kit's tentacles twitched. Plo had known for a long time, given how close they were. "He would be looking for official change. But then, the Sages do not teach such emotional stuntedness." Kit reached out from his chair to the couch, and Obi-Wan reached out, clasping wrists. "I must speak to Aayla, for how far I may expose her privacy, but you have my support."

"I understand… and thank you."

* * *

Aayla and Bly returned together, and Kit met them each with a deep, long kiss suffused with all his care and need and choice to be with them in it. Aayla's lekku curled and writhed for her kiss, eager to be free of the band keeping them swept back. Bly took the time to caress ever so lightly along the sealed lines of Kit's gills, earning a faint shiver.

"Well, I could definitely grow accustomed to that," Aayla said, having stood back and savored the sight of both of her lovers kissing so passionately.

"You may have a chance to see it more often, my heart's own light," Kit said softly. "How open is the question of Attachment these days?"

Aayla moved to the couch, sitting in one corner, while Bly took the other so that Kit was between them. "It has been muttered a few times in Council, but mostly there are murmurs through the Knights that are checking in, loathe to leave their units to come back to the Temple."

Kit sighed softly. "Obi-Wan came today to see me. He seeks to change the interpretation of Attachment, and wishes my support. I have given it… but wished to speak to you first before letting it be known how fully I support it." Kit's fingers tangled with Bly's. "Both of you, for I will either keep both hidden, or show both, not choose."

Aayla looked past him to Bly, who nodded. She then focused on her elder lover, her face serious. "Bly and I and you are forming a clan, no matter what the Order feels on the matter. To do it openly is the only way I wish to do so. If that necessitates leaving the Order, so be it. But there are many, my love, who are finding themselves less than eager to return to stoic denial of the ties that have kept them in the light." She took his free hand. "When you return to Council, beloved, we will make it clear that the Order needs to change on this point, and follow Master Altis's example."

Kit squeezed both their hands, then sighed again. "How far we have changed, Aayla, since that moment on Kamino."

"Then, we only had the idea of duty. Now, we know the reality of what it demands from us." She twisted her feet up under her and leaned over, carefully finding his shoulder, her lekku twining with the tentacles they could reach, while Bly turned enough to watch them. Kit's eyes closing made their eldest look even more peaceful than ever, nor did the hand let go of his, keeping him tied to them in a physical sense.

They would manage what was needed. They always did.


End file.
